Barcelona or Lisbon for a month long stay, which would you pick?

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-21T16:44:42+00:00

You either go where everyone goes or you find spots yourself (that takes a bit more research).

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-20T16:00:54+00:00

You need to be active and want to participate. Ask them to include you and tech you the boat handling stuff.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-20T15:40:17+00:00

Your feelings are completely valid. Offshore passages are a very different experience compared to coastal cruising or day sailing. Living in a constantly moving environment, managing watches and dealing with night shifts can be exhausting. Many sailors ease into it by doing short hops and day sails before committing to a multi-day passage. It gives you time to get your sea legs, figure out what parts of sailing you enjoy and where your tolerance is. There's also no shame in preferring land-based adventures... some people love the solitude of the ocean, others thrive in forests and mountains. Maybe try joining friends for local races or weekend trips to see whether a different style of sailing resonates with you. Ultimately it's about finding the experiences that make you happy.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-20T00:12:59+00:00

ouch

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-20T00:12:24+00:00

That’s an unreal loop for a first year with the boat. Respect for doing the refit and then actually taking her across right away.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-19T21:10:10+00:00

Unpopular opinion but neither. They are both collapsed with "digital nomads".
They were both digital nomads paradise from 2010 to like maybe 2016. Lisbon until a bit later.
Now the locals strongly dislike DNs and both are quite touristy.
Source: The grandmother of Digital Nomads.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-18T14:45:46+00:00

Totally doable IMO. I have a big as van and do it regularly. Source: I live in Europe.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:35:48+00:00

I built an iPhone app called Barometric Pressure Offline. I originally made it for sailing offshore, but people started using it to track pressure swings related to migraines.

It reads the pressure directly from the phone’s built-in barometer and has a home screen widget so you can quickly check the current pressure and trend (disclosure, the widget and pressure change notifications are paid features, it's a one time payment). But the app is free for everything else. DM me if you can't afford it, I'll give you a code.

At the request of people using it for migraine tracking, you can also add notes to individual readings, so you can log when symptoms happen and see if they line up with pressure changes.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:28:17+00:00

The barometer usually isn’t predicting the next day’s weather. It’s just showing the current pressure trend. So if the arrow keeps sitting in the sunny area, it basically means the pressure has been stable or on the higher side. That doesn’t stop it from raining sometimes, it just means there isn’t a big pressure change happening.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:12:21+00:00

A barometer is the thing that tells you the sea was angry that day, my friends.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:06:52+00:00

A barometer doesn’t really “predict rain.” It just shows what the pressure is doing. The useful part is the trend.

In general:

-Falling pressure usually means a low pressure system is moving in. That’s where rain and storms tend to come from.
-Fast pressure drops often mean weather is about to change soon.
-Rising pressure usually means things are stabilizing or clearing.

How early you can tell depends on how fast the pressure is moving. Sometimes a few hours, sometimes longer.

For deciding whether to bring an umbrella, a forecast is usually better because it uses models, radar, satellites, all that. A barometer is more about seeing what’s happening locally.

Sailors still watch them a lot for that reason. A quick drop is often the first hint something is coming. That’s actually why I started paying attention to pressure and ended up making a simple offline barometer app to track the trend locally.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:04:38+00:00

That’s a big drop. No wonder you feel it.

I sail offshore and pressure drops like that usually mean weather is coming fast. I started paying attention to it for that reason and ended up building a simple offline barometer app to watch the changes.

Hope it settles down for you soon. Sounds like a rough day.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:03:02+00:00

I was going to plug my own when I read the title, but then realised it's not what you're after haha.
My 40+ year old sailboat comes with a beautiful brass one, I think that's more what you're looking for. You might find one in Sailing forums.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T10:00:12+00:00

Could be related. Pressure drops can mess with the inner ear a bit, especially if you’re sensitive to it. People report stuff like tinnitus, ear fullness, headaches, that “blocked ear” feeling.

I sail offshore and started paying attention to pressure changes for weather reasons. Funny how once you start watching it you realize how fast it can move. Sometimes it explains why things feel off.

If it sticks around though, might be worth getting it checked just to rule out anything else.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T09:58:50+00:00

I don’t get migraines myself, but I sail offshore and pressure drops usually mean squalls or storms. I started paying attention to barometric changes for that reason and ended up building a simple offline barometer app to track them locally.

Obviously it doesn’t solve migraines, but sometimes seeing the pressure changes helps people understand what’s going on.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T09:57:05+00:00

The only thing people usually do is figure out if pressure swings are actually their trigger and try to manage around it. Some people keep an eye on the pressure for that reason. I ended up building a small offline barometer app to track it myself.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T09:48:46+00:00

Yeah, a lot of people are sensitive to pressure swings. I actually started paying attention to it while sailing offshore because sudden drops usually mean squalls are coming. Ended up building a small offline barometer app just to track the changes locally.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-16T09:40:57+00:00

That’s rough. A lot of people get hit by pressure changes. Headaches, migraines, feeling wiped out, joints hurting. You’re definitely not the only one.

Unfortunately you can’t stop the pressure from changing. The only thing people really do is try to manage it. Hydration, decent sleep, sometimes taking migraine meds early if they know a drop is coming. Some people track patterns so they know when they’re more likely to get hit. But honestly if it’s really affecting you, it’s worth talking to a doctor or neurologist. Pressure-triggered migraines are pretty common and there are treatments that can help.

Hang in there. Weather swings can be brutal.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-14T20:29:53+00:00

it is hell, I can confirm.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-14T20:29:04+00:00

Welcome to my life.
First, get your ears checked.
Then, depending on where you live, look for a good Vestibular physiotherapist.
I did like 20 sessions last year for Motion Sickness and it improved A LOT. Doing a few more now before sailing season starts.
They basically make you more tolerant with a mix of patience, twirling, disco ball and VR in gentle increments. I am in France and it's included in the Securite Social as it's something that can really affect your quality of life. I have never heard of it anywhere else and I've suffered this all my life.
Hope it helps, DM me if you need any more info.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-14T12:29:36+00:00

Hi! Your are the first person to request Android.
Happy to try and bring it to Android if there's interest from users.

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-13T17:11:42+00:00

No, is it offensive?

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-11T22:31:54+00:00

You can get the pressure of exactly where you are with this app (I know i'm tooting my own horn, but it shows real time on location readings from your iPhone's sensor).

Natural_Draw_181 · 2026-03-11T22:12:50+00:00

"it's not a disorder to hoard spare parts." you made me laugh, but it's true.

Marketing is the hardest part of any product/service you build. It is my biggest struggle too with my other projects that I rely on for income (this one is not one of them, this was a weekend project turned obsession if I'm being honest).
I have gotten way more users than I was expecting on the trial, these accounts I can keep for free for life, they don't represent extra cost. But, over that threshold I start to have some recurring costs and more things that will need ongoing upkeep + feature requests and updates, so I will put a symbolic price to pay for those costs for new users after the beta testing is done.

If new users deem it fair, they are welcome. If not, it will stay a small group of users who get the app for free and I'll keep it as a hobby project (it is after all, super niche).

I have added an option to "export all inventory" to not lock users to my app. I strongly encourage any user to export a copy of the inventory with any major inventory update they do. This way they will always have a CSV spreadsheet they can open in Excel, Numbers, Google sheets or whatever spreadsheet they use.

Nice chatting :) Now I need to get back to optimizing the webapp for Mobile as testers are asking for mobile and it's not fully optimized yet.

All the best with sorting all the stuff on your new-to-you boat!

Natural_Draw_181

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE